This is more of a post on technology rather than gaming, but hey... And, more of a stream-of-consciousness than a post... ;)
I was reading a discussion on Usenet in rec.games.frp.misc about where people were hanging out these days, since Usenet groups seem to be growing more quiet. Most people talk on Web forums, which is something some of the posters couldn't understand. In their words, how much harder is it to set up a newsreader versus registering for a Web forum? The answer is, it isn't (for the most part), but I'm afraid they're completely missing the point. The question shouldn't be "how hard is it to set up a newsreader", but rather, "how many people even know Usenet exists"? The obvious follow-up question is then: "Why should they care?"
"Back in the day", most Internet users knew about Usenet because they were technically-minded people and in one manner or another knew about all the major technologies that dominated the network. These days, most people on the Internet aren't technical people, any more than TV watchers are knowledgable about the broadcasting industry or car drivers are mechanics. To most people, the Internet is two things: the Web and e-mail (and for those who use web-based e-mail, they might even consider the Internet to be just the Web). Instant messaging is a close second, as well as peer-to-peer stuff like Kazaa and bittorrent (RSS readers may be up there as well in some circles). But ask the typical Internet user today - on AOL or otherwise - what FTP client they use or what they like best for telnet. They won't know what you're talking about.
This, then, begs the question: does Usenet serve a purpose any longer? Before the advent of the Web, or at least forums on the Web, Usenet was the place to go if you wanted to discussions - everything from sociology to gaming to software to politics. Well, Usenet and mailing lists. But now you have more people aware of and using web forums, what point does Usenet serve? It's an extra hassle to set up on your computer when you've already got a browser installed which most everyone already knows how to use. You also don't have to worry about interruptions in the newsfeed. Of course, Web servers being down or overzealous moderators removing or editting posts is a potential danger in the forums.
One of the benefits cited in the discussion was that Usenet provided a "central" location to discuss particular topics whereas the Web forums are scattered all over the place. But really, is that such an issue - or even a good thing? If you want to discuss D&D, for instance, there are forums all over, from company sites to personal pages, but the bulk of the discussion takes place at two sites: wizards.com and enworld.org. Without much effort I'm sure I could find 100 more web forums where D&D is discussed, but the majority of your fans are going to be at one or both of those sites (if not exclusively, in addition to the smaller venues). And that's a good thing - you have a choice of where to go. Someone who wants to keep up on D&D as a whole will visit WotC and/or ENWorld, but if they're a 1E enthusiast, they're likely to hang out at Dragonsfoot as well or Necromancer Games, if they're of the "3E rules/1E flavor" mindset...if they're enamoured of Arcana Unearthed, they're over at Monte Cook's site...and you get the idea.
Not to mention the volume of posts. Whether mailing list, web forum, or newsgroup, only a fraction of those who subscribe or visit actually post. This is often for the best, since otherwise the sheer number of posts would be overwhelming. Now, imagine that everyone who discusses D&D on the various web sites all congregated to rec.games.frp.dnd. Relatively speaking, the ratio of posts to members would probably be the same as it is now. But in absolute numbers? That's the reason I unsubscribed from Wizards' "DND-L" - too much to read. There's also the fact that so much of what's discussed there - and elsewhere - deals either with mechanical minutiae I don't care about or the same tired discussions (alignment, "realism", etc.) that were old 15 years ago.
Another complaint from the discussion is that ISPs aren't informing people of the existence of Usenet. So? They don't inform people of FTP or Telnet, either. Why is that a problem? Most people have no use for either of those utilities, and Usenet isn't any more useful than web forums - or weblogs, for that matter. If people knew about Usenet, I don't think that many of them would be clamoring to use it. You have to look past the technology and look at what it's used for - Usenet is a big unmoderated web forum. People aren't going to care if they already have places on the Web they already hang out, and most prefer moderation to the "wilds" that Usenet groups are known to be.
I should also note that I wouldn't even be reading Usenet if it wasn't for Google, since I access it through "Google Groups" using, naturally, a web browser. I poke my head out there once in awhile to see if there's any interesting discussion. I don't go to the effort of posting, and I don't feel like setting up a newsreader. Usenet offers me nothing that any of the sites I mentioned above can't give me. It served its purpose admirably in years past, but since it offers nothing more than most Web forums and actually requires more work (or tolerance) to use, most people who learn about it will avoid it.
Labels: DnD, internet, RPG
